chemistry

Sad to think all these guys are dead. I wonder what they achieved in their lives. Lovely historical shot.

Indeed, wonder how many went on to science as a career.

Faces so full of promise.

How strange - notice that all the labelled chemical bottles are empty !! Wonder could this be a promotional photograph of their new chemistry laboratory- probably taken even before the first chemistry practical class? Obviously the lads are posing with no experiment to be performed. Stuart.

You could be right, Stu. Watepark College was only 8 years old when this photo was taken: www.waterparkcollege.com/

Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1914 (and, sadly, no relation, despite our same last names and states of birth): www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1914/... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_William_Richards He married one of his professors' daughters; in turn, his daughter married a chemistry professor too--James Bryant Conant became president of Harvard. So this is Richards' son-in-law: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bryant_Conant And this is one of his grandsons, Ted Conant: library.columbia.edu/indiv/eastasian/korean/rarespecial/c...

wow

Died 26 December 1970 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A chemistry laboratory at Hollins College was renamed in her memory. A former employee and student remembers her fondly:

"When I left there, the head of the chemistry department wanted somebody to work with her. Mrs. Harriet Fillinger, head of the chemistry department, asked for me because I had worked in her building, and she knew I was the maid with Aunt Bill. She asked for me to come. Several went down, but she wouldn't accept none but Emma! So 'Emma' went to work in the chemistry department in 1934. I worked there under Miss Fillinger for about two years before she turned me loose in the department. We talked about school for me; I told her I wanted to major in chemistry, but Papa had an accident and there was no money for me to go to college. Soon after that, I started to study freshman chemistry with Professor Fillinger. I learned which elements caused which reactions, and I memorized the periodic table of elements. I sometimes took tests along with the students. I made all A's! At the end of two years, I was in charge of all the chemicals in the department. I gave out all the chemicals. I prepared all the experiments for the freshman class. Doing that, I had to make up all of the solutions, test all of it before it was put in the lab for the girls to use....I was in charge of all chemicals, explosives and what-have-you. Never had an accident while I was there. I worked there until 1976 when I retired from the chemistry department...But they did ask me if I would consider staying on for another year. I didn't do that. I felt like I was tired of it, and Miss Fillinger had passed on." --Mrs. Mary Emma Bruce, as recorded in Ethel Morgan Smith, From Whence Cometh My Help: The African American Community at Hollins College (University of Missouri Press 2000): 86-87. books.google.com/books?id=foGdRJT3FFoC&lpg=PA86&o...